Torin Zsan
The High Ice is a frozen wasteland located on a plateau in northern Anauroch. The harsh environment and its monstrous inhabitants deter all but the most foolhardy adventurers. An unprepared party will easily become lost and disoriented amid the monochromatic landscape, and it may even starve or freeze to death -- if the group doesn't fall prey to something first. These environmental factors make it highly unlikely that anyone will stumble on Zzarka's stronghold by accident. Even the archwizards who dwell in the City of Shade have so far overlooked the lich's well-hidden dwelling. Being undead, Zzarka Tuzarr can ignore these hazards. The cold means nothing to her and she doesn't need to eat. Even the mind-numbing song of the frost worms has no effect on her. She allows these creatures to travel unhindered through her icy lair since she sees them as valuable natural guards. Zzarka spent years carving a massive cave complex beneath the glacier ice, and then she filled it with skeletons, zombies, and other undead servants. She created these servants from living slaves that she brought through the portal from Thay and abandoned in the caves to determine how long mortal creatures would last if, by some quirk of fate, they happened to stumble upon her hiding place. From the laboratory in her tower, Zzarka scryed upon her cruel experiment. She was always very pleased with the results. A portal beneath the ruins of the lich's tower, near Lake Thalambar in Thay, leads to the heart of the cavern complex. The portal is keyed in that it requires an undead creature capable of casting spells to activate it. Once it is activated, the portal remains open for 1 full round. Any other creatures that touch the portal during this round are also transported to Zzarka's ice cave. Afterward, the portal seals itself again. The portal opens into a large, dark cavern in the ice. No natural light penetrates this deep into the glacier. Those without darkvision perceive little but cold. This void is unsettling to mortals who are unprepared for it. Some of Zzarka's living slaves cried out that they'd been struck blind after being thrust through the portal. Their shouting frequently drew frost worms, or worse, and Zzarka would be deprived of a body upon which she could cast create undead. Reasoning that she ought to perform experiments that took into account the presence of the worms, Zzarka took to gagging her slaves before sending them through the portal. Should someone light a torch in the cavern, the heat causes some of the tiny ice needles on the ceiling to fall. Millions of these needles cling to the ceiling, and one torch dislodges only a few hundred during each round it is lit. Characters in the cavern suffer the effects of an ice storm spell as if cast by an 18th-level wizard each round the torch is lit. Any loud sound, such as combat, produces the same effect. Once inside the ice cavern, adventurers have to contend with frost worms and the undead horrors Zzarka created. Scores of skeletons and zombies wander through the ice tunnels -- all of which move silently and have darkvision. Travelers who are especially unlucky may run into Torin Zsan (LE male human vampire Nec13) or Lars Blackspike (NE male dwarf vampire Clr10), two of Zzarka's lieutenants that inhabit the ice caves from time to time. Even they do not know if the old lich still exists. They have not seen her, or felt her presence, for a hundred years. But they still behave as if she exists, just in case, and they deal with intruders accordingly. Male human vampire Nec13; CR 15; Medium-size undead; HD 13d12; hp 112; Init +8; Spd 30 ft.; AC 26, touch 14, flat-footed 22; Atk +8 melee (1d6+3 plus energy drain, slam); SA blood drain, domination, energy drain; SQ alternate form, children of the night, cold resistance 20, create spawn, DR 15/+1, electricity resistance 20, fast healing 5, gaseous form, spider climb, turn resistance +4, undead traits; AL LE; SV Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +9; Str 15, Dex 18, Con --, Int 21, Wis 12, Cha 10. Height 5 ft. 3 in. Skills and Feats: Craft(Alchemy) +20, Bluff +8, Concentration +16, Craft (weaving) +6, Heal +3, Hide +27, Knowledge (arcana) +21, Knowledge (history) +12, Listen +11, Move Silently +12, Profession (herbalist) +16, Search +13, Sense Motive +9, Spellcraft +21, Spot +11; Alertness, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (Necromancy), Spell Mastery (animate dead, bestow curse, halt undead, nightmare), Spell Penetration. Blood Drain (Ex): Torin can suck blood from a living victim with his fangs by making a successful grapple check (grapple bonus +8). If he pins the foe, Torin drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution drain each round the pin is maintained. Domination (Su): Torin can crush an opponent's will just by looking into his or her eyes. This ability is similar to a gaze attack, except that Torin must take a standard action, and those merely looking at him are not affected. Anyone Torin targets must succeed at a Will save (DC 16) or fall instantly under Torin's influence as though by a dominate person spell (caster level 12th). The ability has a range of 30 feet. Energy Drain (Su): This attack happens automatically when Torin's slam attack hits. Each successful energy drain bestows two negative levels. For each negative level bestowed on an opponent, Torin heals 5 points of damage (or 10 on a critical hit), gaining any excess as temporary hit points. After 24 hours have passed, the afflicted opponent must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 16) for each negative level. If successful, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature; otherwise the creature's level is also reduced by one. Alternate Form (Su): Torin can assume the shape of a bat, dire bat, wolf, or dire wolf as a standard action. This ability is similar to a polymorph self spell (caster level 12th), except that Torin can assume only one of the forms listed here per use of the ability. He can remain in that form until he assumes another or until the next sunrise. Children of the Night (Su): Torin can command the lesser creatures of the world and once per day can call forth a pack of 4d8 dire rats, a swarm of 10d10 bats, or a pack of 3d6 wolves as a standard action. These creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve him for up to 1 hour. Create Spawn (Su): A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain by Torin's energy drain attack rises as a vampire spawn 1d4 days after burial. If Torin instead drains the victim's Constitution to 0 or less, the victim returns as a spawn if it had 4 or fewer HD and as a vampire if it had 5 or more HD. In either case, the new vampire or spawn is under the command of Torin and remains enslaved until his death. Fast Healing (Ex): Torin regains hit points at 5 points of damage each round so long as he has at least 1 hit point. Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and it does not allow Torin to regrow or reattach lost body parts. If reduced to 0 hit points or lower, Torin automatically assumes gaseous form and attempts to escape. He must reach his coffin home within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. (He can travel up to 9 miles in 2 hours.) Once at rest in his coffin, he rises to 1 hit point after 1 hour, then resumes fast healing at the rate of 5 hit points per round. Gaseous Form (Su): As a standard action, Torin can assume gaseous form at will, as the spell (caster level 5th), but he can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability. Spider Climb (Ex): Torin can climb sheer surfaces as though with a spider climb spell. Turn Resistance (Ex): When resolving a turn, rebuke, command, or bolster attempt, Torin is treated as a 17-HD creature. Undead Traits: Torin is immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death, effects, necromantic effects, mind-affecting effects, and any effect requiring a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects. He is not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Negative energy heals him, and he is not at risk of death from massive damage but is destroyed at 0 hit points or less. Torin has darkvision (60-foot range). He cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if he is willing. Spells Prepared (5/7/6/6/6/5/3/2; save DC = 15 + spell level): 0 -- dancing lights, daze, detect magic (2), mage hand; 1st -- cause fear, chill touch, comprehend languages, ray of enfeeblement, sleep (2), true strike; 2nd -- knock, pyrotechnics, spectral hand (2), Tasha's hideous laughter (2); 3rd -- halt undead (4), illusory script, major image; 4th -- bestow curse (2), contagion (2), fear (2); 5th -- animate dead (2), nightmare, shadow evocation (2); 6th -- circle of death, shades, veil; 7th -- finger of death (2). Spellbook: 0 -- arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic; 1st -- burning hands, cause fear, change self, chill touch, comprehend languages, detect undead, identify, ray of enfeeblement, sleep, true strike; 2nd -- knock, pyrotechnics, spectral hand, Tasha's hideous laughter; 3rd -- gentle repose, halt undead, illusory script, major image; 4th -- bestow curse, contagion, fear; 5th -- animate dead, magic jar, nightmare, shadow evocation; 6th -- circle of death, permanent image, shades, veil; 7th -- control undead, finger of death. Possessions: Bracers of armor (AC 6), rod of cancellation, ring of chameleon power. Category:Humans Category:Vampires Category:Necromancers